After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Wang Dabao let out a burp and looked at Liu Haizhong.
"Old Liu, tell us what the schedule is for tonight, so we can have a better idea of what to do."
"Here's how I see it: each household in the compound counts as one vote, but since Old Yan and I are the managers, we'll count as two votes."
Liu Haizhong picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth and smacked it loudly. "Now there are four people participating in the election. I've already had my family make a box. Each family will get one vote. Just write your name on it and throw it in the box."
Wang Dabao raised his glass and looked at Xu Damao: "How was the result today?"
"There were no major problems. I went to every household except the ones I was running for, including Yi Zhonghai's."
Xu Damao laughed and clinked glasses with Wang Dabao, then called to Liu Haizhong, "You guys didn't see how Yi Zhonghai looked after eating dog poop. He was almost disgusted to death. The old lady refused the mushrooms I brought, but I had to force them on her. It was a real pain to eat with them."
"Good, Da Mao, you handled this matter beautifully." Liu Haizhong couldn't help but praise with a smile, "Don't be fooled by Lao Yi's usual magnanimous act, he's actually quite petty. He'll hold a grudge about this for half a year."
Xu Damao snorted: "That bastard Sha Zhu has a broken arm and he's still running around trying to curry favor with everyone. Nobody's stupid. It's all just for show, nobody cares about that."
"And then there's Jia Dongxu, who smiles and bows to everyone he meets. He's a complete idiot, nobody wants to talk to him."
“Zhou Shengli from the front yard, he doesn’t usually live in the yard, but as soon as he heard about the mediator election, he showed up.”
Xu Damao, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, launched into a tirade against his three competitors.
Wang Dabao checked the time and suggested that they go to the site to make preparations.
"It's alright, no rush. I've already told my two sons to go to the Intermediate People's Court to handle things. We can just stroll over there at our leisure."
Liu Haizhong chuckled, seemingly anticipating the attention he would receive upon entering the Intermediate People's Court.
There were two pieces of meat left, and after Wang Dabao and Xu Damao declined, Liu Haizhong took them home with him when he delivered the plates.
"From now on, you'll be the head steward, so stop being so cocky and start standing up for yourself!"
Wang Dabao looked at Xu Damao, who was leaning to one side and slouching, and laughed, "Let's make this clear first, Lao Liu and I support Damao in being the mediator. You have to be able to handle things in a way that everyone can accept."
Xu Damao straightened up and patted his chest: "Dabao, don't worry. I, Xu Damao, hate evil as much as I hate it. I will never show favoritism to anyone in the compound. I will treat everyone equally."
Before long, Liu Haizhong, his belly protruding, walked over, and the three of them strolled towards the central courtyard.
Tonight's hospital-wide meeting is a major event for the hospital. Everyone who was home came, and the place was packed with people, three or four layers deep.
Liu Haizhong, without hesitation, went to the front table, glanced at the empty seat that Yi Zhonghai had previously occupied, and finally returned to his original seat on the left.
Xu Damao went to the left side of the table where the mediator was. There was a bench there, where Sha Zhu, Jia Dongxu, and Zhou Shengli were already seated. This was the seat prepared for the candidates.
Wang Dabao had already been pulled to a bench in Yan Jiekuang's house.
"Uncle Da Bao, if you ask me, you'd be the most suitable person to play the role of the Third Uncle."
Yan Jiekuang said with a face full of regret, "At that time, my dad will be the second uncle, and the two of you will join forces to command the whole compound. Who will dare to disobey!"
Wang Dabao smiled wryly and reached out to pat Yan Jiekuang on the head: "Don't talk nonsense, you little brat. The job of a mediator is to resolve conflicts between neighbors in the compound, not to command the whole compound. That would be a restoration of capitalism."
After saying that, Wang Dabao took out a few White Rabbit milk candies from his pocket, tossed one to Yan Jiekuang and one to Yan Jiefang, then broke off another and put it in his mouth, chewing it vigorously while glancing around.
Sure enough, Yi Zhonghai was found sitting calmly on the far right of the first row.
Wang Dabao narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing that Yi Zhonghai seemed to have come prepared, and that a big show might be about to unfold that night.
Hearing the chewing sounds coming from Wang Dabao's mouth, the two brothers from the Yan family were extremely envious. In order to eat a little longer, the two brothers could only put the food in their mouths and not dare to chew as hard as Wang Dabao.
Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui exchanged a glance and prepared to begin.
Previously, Yi Zhonghai was always the first to speak, but now that Yi Zhonghai is gone, the order has changed, and it's Liu Haizhong's turn.
Liu Haizhong took a sip of tea, suppressing his excitement, and maintained a calm and composed expression.
"As everyone knows, our institute's head steward, Yi Zhonghai, has proposed to resign due to his inappropriate personal conduct, which is why we have this election meeting tonight."
"I won't go into any more details, I believe the neighbors already know. Now that the four candidates are in place, let's have Uncle San announce the voting process."
After saying that, Liu Haizhong handed the floor to Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui still had a cheerful smile on his face, but he was genuinely happy tonight.
When Yi Zhonghai was in power, Liu Haizhong was lucky if he could say a couple of words at every plenary meeting, let alone Yan Bugui.
But things are different now. After Liu Haizhong finishes speaking, he can take the initiative to give way, which makes him very satisfied and allows him to enjoy the treatment of a cadre in the compound.
"Um, everyone quiet down, listen carefully, don't make a mistake later."
Yan Bugui took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief. "We'll be handing out slips of paper to each household in a bit. Each household has one voter. We can only write one name on the slip. If we write two or three names, then sorry, it's invalid."
"Alright, let's get started. Jie Cheng, Guang Tian, one of you hand out slips of paper and the other hand out pens."
At Yan Bugui's command, Yan Jiecheng and Liu Guangtian sprang into action. Yan Jiecheng distributed one slip of paper to each household, while Liu Guangtian had only three pens in total, which everyone took turns using.
Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui stood up and watched everyone's every move from the front.
“Let’s write our own stories and stop whispering among yourselves. I’m sure you all have a suitable candidate in mind.”
Liu Haizhong raised his voice and shouted, "Our original intention in selecting mediators is to serve everyone. The character and moral conduct of the selected person are very important. They cannot use their position for personal gain, nor can they show favoritism to any particular household. They must be realistic and fair in handling conflicts!"
Below, Yi Zhonghai clutched the note, glancing sideways at Liu Haizhong.
You might as well just come over here and point your finger at me and start cursing!
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